A Scientific Autobiography S Chandrasekhar

S. Chandrasekhar, popularly known as Chandra, was one of the foremost scientists of the 20th century. The year 2010 marks the birth centenary of Chandra. His unique style of research, inward bound, seeking a personal perspective to master a particular field, and then pass on to another was so unique that it will draw considerable interest and attention among scholars. As Chandra elucidates in the preface, "The various installments describe in detail the evolution of my scientific work during the past forty years and records each investigation, describing the doubts and the successes, the trials and the tribulations. And the parts my various associates and assistants played in the completion of the different investigations are detailed." It is indeed a remarkable and rare document, fascinating to read and experience the joys, frustrations and struggles of a creative mind. In addition, a compilation of selected correspondence, which includes his correspondence with his father, some family members and other well-known scientists of the 20th century, will provide an interesting insight into the life of an extraordinary scientist.

Chandra is an intimate portrait of a highly private and brilliant man, Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, a Nobel laureate in physics who has been a major contributor to the theories of white dwarfs and black holes. "Wali has given us a magnificent portrait of Chandra, full of life and color, with a deep understanding of the three cultures—Indian, British, and American—in which Chandra was successively immersed. . . . I wish I had the job of reviewing this book for the New York Times rather than for Physics Today. If the book is only read by physicists, then Wali's devoted labors were in vain."—Freeman Dyson, Physics Today "An enthralling human document."—William McCrea, Times Higher Education Supplement "A dramatic, exuberant biography of one of the century's great scientists."—Publishers Weekly

The correspondence in Chandra's journals revealed in his own words the depth of his pursuit of science as well as his personal struggles, and such material is significant for the public to have a deeper understanding of the man behind the legend. The first part of the project was completed at the time of the Chandra birth centennial in 2010 with the publication of A Scientific Autobiography: Chandrasekhar. It provided a rare and personal insight into the joys and struggles of a brilliant scientist at work.There remained yet a wealth of correspondence that shed significant insight into Chandra's life, and this included the correspondence during his days as a student in India and Cambridge, his trials and tribulations in the competitive world of British academia, his travels to Russia and Germany, and his unexpected encounter with Sir Arthur Eddington. It also included selected correspondence and conversations with Lalitha, his wife of over sixty years. These letters and conversations with her reflect her own views of their life. She, a student of physics herself, eventually gave up her own work in science to become an integral part of Chandra's life. As Chandra wrote, 'The full measure of of my indebtedness] cannot really be recorded; it is too deep and too all persuasive. Let me then record simply that Lalitha was the motivating source and strength of my life ...'

'A must read for those interested in the great man'-The Times of India 'I discovered what true mathematical elegance is from Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar' - Carl Sagan, who studied under Professor Chandrasekhar at the University of Chicago The world knows S. Chandrasekhar as a Nobel laureate and an outstanding astrophysicist. But he was, at the same time, a caring uncle, a devoted husband and a compassionate brother, who made it a point to reach out to everyone around him despite his legendary status. This compilation brings out the various facets of the man and the scientist. It includes some of his more general essays and lectures in which he lucidly presents his thoughts on the pursuit of science, creativity, his work, and his abiding love for his motherland. There are also reminiscences by family members who interacted with him and grew to adore the man who, they remember, had as beautiful a heart as his handwriting. This collection strives to bring to the fore the person that was Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and the life he led: from his engagement with science to the little anecdotes that illuminated the lives of those around him.

Excerpts from Chandra-father correspondence: 1928-1933 -- Excerpts from Chandra-father correspondence: 1934-1936 -- Excerpts from K.S. Krishnan correspondence: 1934-1938 -- Miscellaneous letters -- Chandra and Eddington correspondence from 1933-1943 -- Rosenfeld correspondence: January and February 1935 -- Selected correspondence between Lalitha and Chandra 1930-1934 -- Selected correspondence from Lalitha 1935.

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar - known simply as Chandra throughout the scientific world - has become a legendary figure for his prolific contributions to physics, astrophysics, and applied mathematics. Before his death in 1995, Chandra had forbidden a memorial of the conventional sort, celebrating his life. This book, which contains some thirty articles by his former students, his associates, and his colleagues, is in a sense a memorial volume. It says little about Chandra's great scientific achievements, but shows his human side and the various facets of his brilliant personality, his incredible memory, his wit, and the breadth of his knowledge of art, music, literature, and the humanities in general. The contributors to this highly interesting book are among the few who broke the seemingly forbidden barrier surrounding the very private Chandra and came to know him well in one context or another. They include Lalitha Chandrasekhar, Roger Penrose, Richard H Dalitz, J W Cronin, Robert G Sachs, Abhay Ashtekar, and Robert Wald.

Chandrasekhar was born on 19 October 1910 in Lahore; Punjab; Pakistan in a Tamil family; to Sitalakshmi (1891–1931) and Chandrasekhara Subrahmanya (1885–1960) who was posted in Lahore as Deputy Auditor General of the Northwestern Railways at the time of Chandrasekhar's birth. He was the eldest of their four sons and the third of their ten children. His paternal uncle was the Indian physicist and Nobel laureate C. V. Raman. In January 1937; Chandrasekhar was recruited to the University of Chicago faculty as Assistant Professor by Dr. Otto Struve and President Robert Maynard Hutchins. He was to remain at the university for his entire career; becoming Morton D. Hull Distinguished Service Professor of Theoretical Astrophysics in 1952 and attaining emeritus status in 1985. Professor Chandrasekhar was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1983 for his studies on the physical processes important to the structure and evolution of stars. Chandrasekhar died of a sudden heart attack at the University of Chicago Hospital in 1995; and was survived by his wife; Lalitha Chandrasekhar; who died on September 2; 2013 at the age of 102.